This one pot ground chicken fajita pasta is the perfect busy weeknight rush dinner. Ground chicken paired with warm spices, onions, peppers, creamy sour cream, and of course – CHEESE!
Comfort food comes in all forms and surprisingly for me, it took a move all the way to New York to realize pasta is the ultimate comfort food.
I grew up in a household where my dad wasn’t a big fan of pasta so we never ate it.
This dish is literally comfort in a bowl and packed full of Tex-Mex flavor made with ground chicken, vegetables, pasta, homemade fajita sauce, spices, and just a touch of cheese.
Trust me, if you’re looking for the perfect ONE POT pasta dish this is the recipe you need.
And if you’re loving all these flavors but craving something with fewer carbs try my stuffed Ground Chicken Fajita Spaghetti Squash which gives you all the same flavors but is made with spaghetti squash.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for One Pot Ground Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Ground Chicken – a great low-fat ground meat option!
- Yellow onion
- Red and yellow bell pepper – use whatever color bell pepper you have on hand!
- Garlic
- Chili powder
- Smoked paprika
- Cumin
- Kosher salt
- Tomato sauce – you’ll want to use canned tomato sauce and not a spaghetti sauce with lots of Italian seasonings.
- Chicken stock
- Dried pasta – I used orecchiette but other shapes that work well here are bowtie, rotini, penne, or even rigatoni.
- Sour cream – if you’re out of sour cream, cream cheese is a great substitute.
- Cilantro
- Shredded cheese – I used a Mexican blend of shredded cheese, but any shredded cheese will work well. A shredded pepper jack is one of my favorites!
What pan works best for one pot meals?
As far as a pan goes, when you’re making one-pot pasta you want something that has nice high sides so you can add all your ingredients without worrying about anything spilling over the side.
Cleaning up a dirty stove can simply be the worst.
Especially if you have a flat-top stove as I do.
So, for this one-pot ground chicken fajita pasta, I busted out my trusty Le Creuset braiser pan.
This pan is so amazing. You need one if you don’t already own one.
TRUST ME!
If you’re looking for a pan a little less heavy than a Le Creuset you should try my other favorite pan from American Kitchen.
Can I substitute ground beef?
Of course! You can easily substitute ground turkey, ground beef, or even ground pork.
I just really happen to love the taste of ground chicken. It can really take on the flavor of the spices you bring into this recipe.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead?
Yes, but you’ll want to use Greek yogurt with a little fat.
If you use non-fat it can have the tendency to break when you’re stirring it into the hot pasta dish.
What other changes can I make to this recipe?
If you’re looking for ways to change the flavor but keep the method the same here are a few ideas.
- Switch up the ground meat to bring in a different flavor.
- Instead of using canned tomato sauce, you could easily use 15 ounces of store-bought enchilada sauce to bring in even more flavor.
- Double up the vegetables, use vegetable broth, use non-dairy cheese, and vegan meat crumbles for a vegetarian experience.
Tips for perfecting this one pot ground chicken fajita pasta
Prep all of your ingredients ahead of time.
This will allow you to focus on the food as it’s cooking and not become overwhelmed trying to do too much at one time.
Of course, like any good one-pot meal I packed it full of flavor AND topped it with cheese.
Can you ever actually have too much for one meal?
Don’t worry. I didn’t go crazy. In fact, the only cheese I used in the whole recipe for this very top.
You can also stir in a little sour cream, I did!
If you’re a die-hard ranch fan that would work well here too.
I also decided to use ground chicken for this recipe because simply it’s easier.
Want more ground chicken recipes?
- Love all things buffalo chicken? Try my One Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta.
- Craving chili? Try my Instant Pot Ground Chicken Chili.
- Want all the flavors of this dish but low carb? Try my Ground Chicken Fajita Spaghetti Squash.
- Need an easy crowd-pleaser of a meal? Try my Baked Ground Chicken Tacos.
One Pot Ground Chicken Fajita Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground lean chicken
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 1-1/4 cup chicken stock
- 8 ounces dried pasta
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
- In a large 12 inch high sided skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil and set over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot add in the ground chicken, yellow onion, bell peppers, garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Cook until the meat is fully cooked and no longer pink and the vegetables have started to soften.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, chicken stock, and the dried pasta. Stir to combine.
- Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes or until the past is fully cooked. If the mixture cooks down too much before the pasta is fully cooked add a little more stock.
- After the pasta is fully cooked the mixture should be creamy but thick. Stir in the sour cream and cilantro.
- Top with cheese and let the warmth of the pasta melt the cheese.
- Optional – Melt the cheese under an oven broiler if in an oven safe dish.